The essentials

1. Portobello Road

Best for: vintage clothing

While perhaps best known for its famed antiques market, Portobello Road in Notting Hill is a true haven for fans of fashion from bygone eras. Whether it’s second-hand Chanel, pre-loved Burberry or kitschy cocktail jewels, you’re likely to spot something among the endless stalls of goodies that stretch the entire length of the road and beyond. While you’re in the area, it would be rude not to pop into vintage treasure trove One of a Kind (259 Portobello Road) – Naomi and Kate are regulars.

2. Borough Market

Best for: food, glorious food

Food fans are guaranteed a good time at Borough Market, born in 1014. One of London’s largest food markets, it’s bursting at the seams with gourmet goodies from around the world to take home or devour on the spot, such as Ibérico ham from Brindisa, piping hot pastry from Pieminister or Bread Ahead’s legendary jam doughnuts. A friend in the market recommends heading by for around 3.30pm, when you’re more likely to pick up discounts and encounter jollier traders as things start to wind down for the day.

Borough Market's best restaurants

3. Columbia Road Flower Market

Best for: beautiful blooms

Part of the reason it takes so long to edge down Columbia Road on a Sundaymorning is the fact that people regularly stop in their tracks to take photographs, causing rather a pile-up. And you can’t blame them – the flower market is undeniably picturesque, not only for its rainbow of colourful flora but also its charming boutiques behind pretty 19th-century shop fronts. Head here to snag bunches of fresh peonies, Cornish daffodils and tulips, and gawp at people lugging giant pot plants home with them, often in rather ingenious ways.

4. Billingsgate Fish Market

Best for: the catch of the day

Trade customers and dedicated foodies brave an eye-wateringly early start to visit Billingsgate, the largest fish market in the UK, and once the largest in the world. Open from 4am-8am from Tuesday to Saturday and crammed to the gills with all manner of fresh seafood, it’s as much an experience as an opportunity to shop. Lap up the banter from the traders or spy exotic fish varieties from around the globe (150+ species are sold here). For an insider’s introduction to the market, the on-site Billingsgate Seafood School offers tours.

5. Broadway Market

Best for: hipster spotting

A playground for the creative types who have settled in Hackney en masse over the past decade or so, Broadway Market is a lively place in which to spend a Saturday afternoon. It’s rammed with international food stalls, purveyors of vintage and vinyl, and opportunities to rub shoulders with the area’s style-conscious population as they sip flat whites and chat on the pavement, dogs in tow. We advise fuelling the perusing and people-watching with a strong coffee from Climpson & Sons, and popping in to the canalside Market Café for a spritz when you’re done.

6. Camden Market

Best for: counterculture

Camden Market – actually comprised of six different sites – has historically been a beacon for London’s nonconformists, from punks in the Seventies when the market first opened, to grunge devotees, rockers and hippies. Despite its present-day popularity, it still maintains a somewhat independent spirit, thanks to its banning of chain stores in Stables Market, which means that its large numbers of traders mainly sell handmade, Fairtrade crafts and vegan food. It also remains a hotspot for kinky club and fetish wear.

7. Maltby Street Market

Best for: sheer gluttony

For an opportunity to indulge with joyful abandon, you can’t beat Maltby Street. Lined up opposite a row of handsome railway arches, you’ll find street food stalls serving up shamelessly calorific delicacies, and crowds of cheery punters, beakers of G&T or vermouth in hand, waiting to get their fill. On our last visit, fare included oozing cheese toasties, fluffy naan breads piled with fresh toppings, and intensely chocolatey brownies. The permanent venues under the arches are always bustling, too, like the diminutive Bar Tozino, a fantastic spot for an aperitif.

8. Spitalfields Market

Best for: great gifts

Set under a striking steel and glass Victorian roof, Spitalfields Market draws crowds for its vibrant mix of independent traders selling an eclectic selection of wares. From hammam towels to antique maps, you’re sure to uncover an inspiring find. You’d be wise to pay a visit to Walconcept – a stall run by the always impeccably-dressed Waliou, whose selection of vintage scarves and ties can’t be beaten.

9. Dover Street Market

Best for: cutting-edge fashion

DSM is not your traditional market. In fact, the word ‘traditional’ has no place here at all. Inspired by the cult Kensington Market – a home for London subcultures that closed in the ’90s – this gender-fluid, multi-brand space by Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo pushes boundaries in all directions. Not least because it looks like one big art installation – featured designers are given the freedom to arrange their areas within the store as they see fit, resulting in endless strange and beautiful displays. With a gleeful mix of high and low price points, you’ll find established brands including Gucci and Balenciaga alongside pieces by rising stars such as Stefan Cooke and Marine Serre. In January and July DSM undergoes its seasonal changeover, where the entire place gets a new look. This is a prime time to visit, with exclusive products and treats from the top-floor Rose Bakery.

10. Brick Lane Market

Best for: bric-a-brac

Brick Lane, the vibrant artery of Shoreditch, really comes into its own on market Sundays. Traders line the street with blankets spread with vintage china, decorative knick knacks and furniture, and alongside the odd inevitable bit of tat you’re likely to find a treasure. Head towards the imposing Old Truman Brewery for the Vintage Market, where you can browse homewares and memorabilia, clothing and accessories from the Twenties to the Nineties. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, visit the Sunday Upmarket’s huge food hall.

11. Mercato Metropolitano

Best for: Italian delicacies

Formerly a paper factory, this sustainability-focused market dishes up superlative Italian food from a collection of permanent stalls. While other food is available, fresh pasta, crisp cannoli and Florentine gelato are the star attractions, and the market’s convivial atmosphere makes it a great place to while away an evening. Find bright young things and local residents socialising and digging in to plates of spaghetti on the communal tables. It's also home to impressive delicatessen Una Drogheria and Enoteca, that boasts biodynamic wines and a tasting room tucked behind the counter.

12. Petticoat Lane

Best for: bargains

Petticoat Lane – which actually no longer exists, since it was renamed Middlesex Street in 1846 – provides an authentic taste of the old East End. Locals and visitors flock to this historic market, possibly one of Britain’s longest-running, to eye up cheerful garb at rock-bottom prices, accompanied by a cuppa from a nearby greasy spoon. The wonderful thing about this market is that it’s a glorious jumble – high-street excess stock, Chinese silks, sparkly hair clips, Harry and Meghan memorabilia, smart leather men’s shoes and reams of designer knock-offs are just the beginning. Bring cash.

The local secrets

13. Sunbury Antiques Market

Best for: homewares

Get to Kempton Park Racecourse on the second and last Tuesday of every month to jostle with leading interior designers, prop buyers and the likes of David Gandy and Paloma Faith. There's ornate cutlery, mid-century G Plan furniture, old-timey signage, antique mirrors and so much more, sold by more than 700 traders from across the UK and Europe. Arrive as early as you can bear (it opens at 6.30am), bring cash for extra haggling power, and if you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to ask for it – many of the traders show only a fraction of their stock at the fair.

14. Netil Market

Best for: indie design

Located a stone’s throw from buzzing Broadway Market, this Hackney hub is a draw not only for its excellent selection of street food, but its collection of independent designers and makers selling their high quality, craft-focused wares. Look out for handmade ceramics by Klei, award-winning smellies by Soapsmith and delicate rings by WeAreArrow, who run a studio in their shipping container on site. The fact that the yard is fairly small is to its advantage, giving it a friendly, family feel.

15. Hackney Flea Market

Best for: eclectic finds

Seventies fabrics, reclaimed fixtures, anatomical drawings, retro board games – you never know what you might discover at Hackney Flea, which is part of its beauty. Taking place monthly in a hall in trendy Stoke Newington, it has 30 or so traders, largely peddling vintage. Recent additions to the line-up of stalls include the brilliantly niche My Moka, specialising in rare espresso pots, and Piquant, who scour markets in Paris and Scandinavia for stylish home accessories.

16. Canopy Market

Best for: relaxed browsing

Perched just off Granary Square, Canopy Market is a relative newcomer on the scene (it opened in 2018). Inside there's a mix of art and design – think prints, stationery, knitwear and more – plus an ever-changing lineup of street food vendors, making it a lovely place to shop for handmade crafts before retiring to one of the benches with a snack and a glass of English sparkling wine. On Fridays, it’s open until 8pm, with live music – we can’t think of a more laid-back way to kick off a weekend.

17. Herne Hill Market

Best for: local produce

This weekly farmers’ market in a leafy residential zone of South London prides itself on the fact that its fresh fruit, veg, baked goods and gourmet delicacies are all sourced from within a 100-mile radius. With 60-odd stalls set up outside the main entrance of Herne Hill station, the market serves up local flavour in more ways than one thanks to its welcoming, neighbourhood atmosphere. On warm days, take your eats to nearby Brockwell Park for a perfect picnic.